Dr. Aval Luthra

Dental sealants: protection shield for children oral health

10% of children are prone to dental cavities, as it is one of the most common problems worldwide. Children need specialized pediatric care & their parents have to play an important role to take care of their children's dental health.

Cavities occur when children takes more sugar in their diet which forms plaque or translucent bacterial on the tooth surface. It destroys the tooth enamel. Once you lose tooth enamel, it can't be recovered.

Many studies showed that from childhood to adulthood, children have many dental problems and the most common is cavities. As we can do, many cure through dental visits, good oral hygiene, fluoridated tooth paste which have minimum quantity of fluoride, flossing, mouth rinse.

After all the precautions, children still have cavities because some have low immunity so response to bacteria is more prone on their oral cavity. When your child eats and drinks, these bacteria create acids, which can dissolve the protective layer beneath the retained plaque. It removes minerals from the enamel, which if left untreated causing a cavity. Parents often have questions about how to take care of their children's teeth.

For good oral hygiene of children, using dental sealants as protection shield to keep the teeth healthy. Dental sealant is a plastic material that is applied to the teeth, hardens them, and provides a barrier against plaque and other harmful substances. They are usually placed on the chewing (occlusal) surface of the permanent back teeth, the molars and premolars & protect them from cavities. It works like rain coat for tooth against cavities.

Dental sealant procedure:

First, polishing the surface of the tooth to remove plaque and food debris from the pit and fissure surfaces.
Next, isolate and dry the tooth. Then, etch will apply on the surface of the tooth, rinse off the etching material and dry the tooth.
Applying the sealant on the surface of the tooth with a brush; a self-curing light will be used for about 30 seconds to bond the sealant to the tooth surface.
Then, evaluating the dental sealant and check the occlusion. Once the sealant as hardened it becomes a hard plastic coating, and child can chew on the tooth again.

Many studies have shown that dental sealant are effective in helping to prevent decay on chewing (occlusal) surfaces for last many years. If necessary, it is also possible to place a new dental sealant on the tooth. Dental sealant is a painless treatment without drilling or numbing medications. Sealants are more common in children because of the new growth of permanent teeth.